Try using nonsense words in your lyric

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Professional songwriter, Cliff Goldmacher, recommends trying a nonsense word or two in your lyric from time to time. In this songwriting tip from his weekly online course, Cliff suggests that well-placed nonsense words in your song make it memorable and fun to sing. Taking yourself and your songs less seriously can produce great results.

- Try using a nonsense word or two in your lyric.When it comes to a catchy lyric,a good whoa whoa or ooh ooh can go a long waytowards making your song memorable.As songwriters, we forget that we don't need to usecomplicated words or phrases to make our point.A well-placed nonsense word is not only fun to sing,but it gives your listeners a momentto digest your other lyrics, and there's no shame in this.Take yourself a little less seriously and try it sometime.

Our song example, "Uptown Funk," they do thisat the very beginning of the song.That doh doh doh that they do right at the top,you know exactly what song it is,and I dare you not to sing along.

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Author

Updated

12/2/2016

Released

5/6/2016

What makes the songs you know and love so powerful? Is it the melody or the beat, the verse or the chorus, the lyrics or the underlying message? One-Minute Weekly Songwriting Tips breaks down the secrets of great songwriters, using examples from today's top 10 Billboard hits. Every Friday, Cliff Goldmacher offers a short 1-minute tip that you can put into practice immediately. Don't wait to sit down and write! Get a weekly dose of songwriting inspiration and technical insights, ranging from techniques for writing better songs, getting past writing blocks, and collaborating with cowriters to making it in the music business.